I wasn’t intending on making a review for this game but I decided to change my mind and give this one a nice review. I’ve always been terrible at trying to just finish these DQ games despite XI being such a great game. I decided to play the fifth entry because I know how popular it was though had I done this later, I probably would have done II instead. Regardless, let me tell you why DQ V is such a great game.

While this game is old, I don’t really want to spoil much of the story as I think it’s something that should be experienced if you have an interest in the game. The story however did surprise me, I was expecting it to be pretty basic and would work for the most part of the time. There’s so many eye opening moments and even times that got a big reaction out of me. While I don’t find the characters as memorable as other RPGs, a lot of them are still good for the game and I’m happy to find the writing to be one of the highlights of the game. There’s even some nice humor at times. It’s just overall very good.

The gameplay is also pretty fun and rarely has dull moments. One neat mechanic of DQ V has to be recruiting specific monsters from the overworld or dungeons to put on your team. I used a few of them and I’d say my favorite one was the Curer just to have a convenient healall user if I needed it. Battles require some thought and you’ll have to make use of buffs, debuffs, and statuses to win some later fights. You don’t even need to grind all that much in the game, I only did it like a few times though it might vary for others. I love all the different types of spells to use too but it does make it stressful to sometimes not go overboard and run out. If there was one thing I regret was not buying more Elven magic from the casino. I did at least prepare for the last part of the game.

The world is vast in the game and there’s a lot of places to visit and discover. One thing I love about the overworld is just the many ways to travel in it. You can go on foot, travel by ship, magic carpet, a floating castle, and even a dragon. I did find myself getting lost a few times but I did get used to it for the most part. I wish the return spell would let you travel to any location you’ve been to, it seems to be picky about where it’ll save locations for you. While the game visually might be a little repetitive for some of the locations, there’s still a lot here and it was always a curiosity to check what’s new.

The dungeon design in this game is pretty good and not much of it is that annoying or bad. It’s fun to explore these and get items and fight tough enemies. I do wish more bosses were in them though, it feels like a lot of the time you don’t fight them. There’s some memorable places like the haunted location early in the game, a cave with minecarts to ride, and a volcano with lava floors that hurt. Wait, Final Fantasy 1 already did that last one, hmm. You also sometimes can’t bring your caravan in for these places so make sure you set out a good team for this before going in. I swear a lot of the 2nd half makes you do this.

Ok I know I said to let you experience the story for yourself but one thing that was on my mind a few times was the marriage thing. You’ll try to get an item related to your quest but are forced to marry a girl by the name of Flora. By the time you’re almost done, you meet up with Bianca as she’s aged up since you last met her in your childhood years. Now I for one thought it was very obvious where they were going with this and I was expecting them to truly fall in love. When you finally get the rings, you get this plot point where the Hero struggles between the two with even a restless night and I’m just thinking “What? Why would I not choose Bianca?” I almost felt like this was just gonna force her anyway but obviously I was going to pick her. It wasn’t till later I looked it up and found out you can marry her! With some of the parts in the story, that just feels wrong. Maybe I just don’t get it? Just feels like the wrong choice to me.

There are some small nitpicks I have with the game. I really don’t like the item management with this game and how picky it is with them wanting items in a character’s inventory to use. I also felt the encounter rate at times could be a little annoying at times. This point I’m gonna bring up isn’t a problem with the game but I felt by the 2nd half, my team basically stayed the same and I felt kind of discouraged to try other ideas because what I had was working fine. There’s also some characters you can use and I find confusing why you would want to unless I’m missing something. I think it’s partially why a lot of the characters don’t feel the most memorable in my heart if that makes sense. Still, again these are nitpicks and it says a lot about the game that these are really some of my only few negatives.

Visually the game looks pretty nice for a 1992 RPG. I think the battle screens are the highlight because they actually take place in locations just like the first DQ game on Famicom. Those designs by Akira Toriyama are also just splendid here. The music is also pretty good and almost feels like I can hear the orchestra even if it’s obviously still just the SFC sound chip. I especially love the two dungeon themes you hear in the game the most. I also really love the music when you’re sailing. Even the sound effects sound pretty nice for the hardware. It’s all worth a listen if you ever have the time.

I’m happy to have finally finished this game and see it rank so high. Sure it may not be my favorite 16 bit RPG as of writing this but still being such a great game is no slouch either. You probably know already just how popular this game is and it’s very easy to see why now that I’ve played it all the way through. There are various ways to play the game now. It was first remade in 3D on the PS2 and then a more enhanced 2D version was made for the DS. The DS version was the first time it was localized too so you’ll need a fan translation to play the original or the 3D remake. It also has a version for mobile phones. Oddly it’s never been ported since which feels very odd considering the Switch’s success. A movie based on this game also exists called Dragon Quest: Your Story. Never watched it though, maybe I should. The series would only get one more sequel on the system which is kind of shocking considering how well this one did. When I watched the credits of the game, I really felt moved at reminiscing about the journey I had. It’s kind of crazy to think I played this in memory of Toriyama as he has now passed away and seeing his name makes me miss him again. Bless him and all of the talent who worked on this game. Dragon Quest V is a great game and it’s a game I’ll probably play again someday.

This is probably one of the best games ever made, challenging game with very fun combat and pvp with other players. the game may seem hard (and it is don't get me wrong) but every time you progress, eveyr time you fail and get up again, you truly feel a sense of superation everytime.

100% recommended

pd: FUCK BED OF CHAOS AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH

You know I was gonna give a short review since this got a fan translation but it seems I got beat out by a couple of people, oh well I might as well say my opinion.

I've never seen the source material for this Anime, I've been aware of it, just never had time to watch it. Usually I like to get into before I delve into stuff like games but I'll make this the exception.

In the past I've talked about the first Sailor Moon game on GB and that one had this interesting first level where you'd walk all over town talking to people, doing side minigames, or just advancing the story. This game feels like that level but it's way better and it's the whole game.

You'll go around town talking to NPCs, playing minigames, or helping people out so you can get the Dream Pearls. There's only 10 in the game though I only had to collect 8 so if there is a way you can get more or less I'm not aware. The town is also not too big, it's easy to get around the place.

When it comes to the minigames it's a mixed bag. I don't think they're all bad but some can be not that fun or just have flaws like in the platforming ones where I feel the hitbox on the character is too big. They also might be too simple for people. There's also no checkpoints so for stuff like the detective one or the final part of the game, you have to do it in one go. Though since this was probably meant for kids, it's usually pretty easy outside of some jank like I've mentioned.

The game graphically looks inconsistent. It has moments of looking good with special shoutouts going to the transformation sequence. It's really a beauty. Then you have sprites where the eyes aren't colored so they just change to whatever the background there on is meaning you get stuff like completely blue eye Champ. It probably could be better for 1992. The ending dance you see in the credits is also pretty cute. The music isn't the most interesting but I do like the town theme, it's pretty catchy.

This game won't really impress anyone but for a licensed game it could be much worse. I probably am going too soft on it but I enjoyed my time with this short game. It has a nice vibe to it and I'm sure some fans of the source material or even children will get some enjoyment out of this one. Wouldn't really say it's a must play but with a new fan translation it wouldn't hurt to at least check it out if curious.

A charming and heartfelt VN that, despite appearing unremarkable on the surface, hits all the right notes. It's the full package with likable characters, nice art, and a SOULFUL soundtrack that really engrosses you in the atmosphere of young love. There's a surprising amount of routes and while they do vary in quality, the girls are all cute and quite a few of them managed to get me at least a little emotional. The main character's aversion to women can feel inconsistent at times but it opens a lot of opportunities for good scenes with the supportive characters like Yuuji and Tamaki and it lends to a real feeling of growth in the MC and his relationships. My only real complaints would be Ruri's screeching harpy voice, the MC being far too dense in certain instances, and the placement of sex scenes being occasionally jarring. I also accidentally shot myself in the foot by doing Manaka's route first because it is by far the best and I had to spend the rest of the VN comparing every girl to my wife/class president/goddess Manaka Komaki.